Kelonia Therapeutics
Kelonia developed a way to create CAR T cells directly inside the body using a targeted gene delivery particle, so patients do not need their cells removed and manufactured. Its lead programme is for multiple myeloma and Eli Lilly agreed to buy the company in 2026 for up to $7 billion.
Overview
Kelonia Therapeutics is a clinical-stage company developing in vivo CAR T-cell therapy using its proprietary in vivo gene placement system (iGPS), a lentiviral-based delivery technology designed to deliver genetic cargo only to the desired tissue. Lead candidate KLN-1010 is a CD19/BCMA bispecific CAR (biCAR) in the phase 1 inMMyCAR trial (NCT07075185) for refractory multiple myeloma, with clinical data highlighted in a plenary session at the 2025 ASH annual meeting. Further oncology and autoimmune programmes are undisclosed. On 20 April 2026 Eli Lilly announced a definitive agreement to acquire Kelonia for $3.25 billion upfront and up to $7.00 billion including milestones; the company website now describes Kelonia as a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly. A 2022 Form D shows about $50 million of equity sold when the company was based in Cambridge, MA.
Funding
All startupsInvestors not recorded; see the round sources.
| Round | Year | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acquisition · Upfront payment of $3.25 billion; up to $7.00 billion in total including clinical, regulatory and commercial milestones; announced 20 April 2026 | 2026 | $3.3B | prnewswire.com |
| Form D offering · Equity offering, first sale 14 April 2022; issuer then based in Cambridge, MA | 2022 | $50M | sec.gov |
Amounts only where the cited source states them. Rounds without a public source are not listed.
Notes
top- Series letters and investor names for earlier rounds not sourced. Completion date of the Lilly deal not separately sourced, but keloniatx.com states it is a wholly owned Lilly subsidiary.
Pages like this
not linked directly; found by shared links- CompanyCapstan Therapeutics
Shares In vivo CAR-T, CD19.
- CompanyOrna Therapeutics (Eli Lilly)
Shares In vivo CAR-T, Eli Lilly (incl. Loxo), BCMA, CD19.
- CompanyPoseida Therapeutics
Shares BCMA, CD19, Multiple myeloma.
- IdeaNon-profit, open-licence lentiviral vectors and producer cell lines for CAR-T
- CompanyArcellx
Shares BCMA, Multiple myeloma.
- IdeaIn vivo CAR-T manufactured and priced like a generic biologic
Shares In vivo CAR-T, BCMA, CD19, Multiple myeloma.
- IdeaHospital-made CAR-T under one shared regulatory master file
Shares BCMA, CD19, Multiple myeloma.
- CompanyKernal Biologics
Shares In vivo CAR-T, CD19.